Applying for a pistol licence

jcatony

I have held licences for a rifle and a shotgun for ten years now, but i have just discovered that it is now possible to legally own a handgun in this country. When i applied for the licence for my .22lr rifle i had to put up with two years of stalling and obstruction by my local superintendent. Applying for a handgun permit here must be a nightmare.
Can anyone tell me about their experience when applying for a pistol licence.

Kimber

Are you a member of a Target Shooting club?
Regards,

jcatony

No. At the moment i am a member of a wildfowling club. Have been for more than two years.

Kimber

Just asking the question.
What use would you have for a Pistol?

Clare gunner

Put your application in and take your chances.It is the usual SNAFU situation.Some folks get liscenses granted within ten days with little or no pre requsites,others get messed around for months,and they have all and beyond pre requsites .New form of national lottery methinks:rolleyes:

Sparks

Kimber wrote:

Just asking the question.
What use would you have for a Pistol?

I know of a few who'd slate you for even asking that one Kimber

Kimber

DONT put in your application and hope for the best.

You had trouble for two years trying get a .22lr Cal Rifle.
Think of what trouble you will have for a Pistol.

There are plenty of Basic Pistol Courses around Ireland now.
Enroll in a course and learn how to handle a Pistol the right way from day one.

Receive your Certification.

Put together a C.V. type of your shooting History, Clubs, Competitions,
Be professional about your application and have everything in writing.
Keep copies of letters that you send on file.

If history is about to repeat itself here. Have your documentation in order.
Also have a look around the forum and gain more insight.

Ask the Long Term People on this Forum. While you are asking questions you are getting to knw other shooters also. What ever decision you make. Make it an informed one.

Kimber

"I know of a few who'd slate you for even asking that one Kimber"

Sparks,

Only trying to gain more information to offer the best advice
Target Pistol,Rimfire, Centre Fire, LBR, Semi, Revolver, What Caliber,
What Discipline would dicatate who would be the best person on the forum to send a new shooter too.

OK:)

Sparks

Kimber wrote:

I know of a few who'd slate you for even asking that one Kimber

Sparks,
Only trying to gain more information to offer the best advice

Not to worry Kimber, wasn't criticising - it's just that I've heard the "Don't ask me why I need it, I have a right to it" approach quite a bit over the last year!

Target Pistol,Rimfire, Centre Fire, LBR, Semi, Revolver, What Caliber,
What Discipline would dicatate who would be the best person on the forum to send a new shooter too.
OK:)

Indeed, I agree.

Clare gunner

QUOTE=Kimber]DONT put in your application and hope for the best.

You had trouble for two years trying get a .22lr Cal Rifle.
Think of what trouble you will have for a Pistol.

There are plenty of Basic Pistol Courses around Ireland now.
Enroll in a course and learn how to handle a Pistol the right way from day one.

Receive your Certification.

Put together a C.V. type of your shooting History, Clubs, Competitions,
Be professional about your application and have everything in writing.
Keep copies of letters that you send on file.

If history is about to repeat itself here. Have your documentation in order.
Also have a look around the forum and gain more insight.[/QUOTE]

And it will all mean a big fat ZERO if his Super is an obstinate ol bllx,which he sounds like,who will proably monkey him around for another two years,even if he had a degree in firearms andwas accredited by the president of Ireland personally.In the end it boils down to one man your Super and if he wants to give it to you ,thou shalt recive,if not Heaven &Hell wont move him.BUT the theory is good and keeping a paper track will help when hopefully next March you can drag this Sod into the DC to find out why he is refusing you.

Kimber

Clare Gunner,

At the very least air on the positive side when givining advise to new Pistol shooter.

And it will all mean a big fat ZERO if his Super is an obstinate ol bllx

Not Good, not good at all. This attutide deos not help us.



,which he sounds like,who will proably monkey him around for another two years,even if he had a degree in firearms andwas accredited by the president of Ireland personally.In the end it boils down to one man your Super and if he wants to give it to you ,thou shalt recive,if not Heaven &Hell wont move him.BUT the theory is good and keeping a paper track will help when hopefully next March you can drag this Sod into the DC to find out why he is refusing you.

If this is going to be a worse case scenario. You take him to Court Yourself.
The applicant will have all the i's dotted and the T's crossed.
He cannot loose and will not be refused.

Clare gunner

[

QUOTE=Kimber]Clare Gunner,

At the very least air on the positive side when givining advise to new Pistol shooter.


Not Good, not good at all. This attutide deos not help us.

What being realistic?
I wouldnt call him an newbie either.He obvisouly knows how to use a shotgun and rifle. What is the point in trying tell somone that this is a cakewalk and easy experiance.IT DOES NOT HAPPEN.He hasnt had a positive experiance in getting his rifle,and obvisouly knows what sort of a man he is dealing with.It is called being realistic and fair dues to him having the hard assdeness to stick with it until he got his rifle.Giving people a false optimism that by doing such and such will get you this straight away,and they dont for whatever reason that is then decided by the third party,can be pretty morale smashing.

If this is going to be a worse case scenario. You take him to Court Yourself.
The applicant will have all the i's dotted and the T's crossed.
He cannot loose and will not be refused.

[/QUOTE]

Which Court?Do you mean high court for a judicial review?Best of luck and I hope you got quids behind you.Cos at the moment that is the only open course to you.The district court thing we will only know if this will be true when the CJB is law,and I wouldnt hold my breath on this either,that there isnt some nasty little clause in there.
NEVER go into court beliving you will win.You are a fool if you do.In my professional career I have seen surefire well prepared cases get shot to pieces and no hopers fly at all odds and win.It comes don to alot more than evidence.

Kimber

You miss the point,

Give a new Pistol Shooter some Positive information when he asks for information on a forum.

Give a new member of the Forum a Postitive reponce when they post a request for imformation,

Nothing more nothing less, You can't go wrong. It's all part of the learning curve for all shooters. We all had to educate ourselves at one stage. Let it be a positive start whether be on a Forum or on a Range.

No need to hammer home the negative,

It's always wiser to have your i's dotted and your T's crossed. If you recieve an application that time has been well spent and you project that you have done your home work. Its far far better than handing in an application on the back of the preverbal "Fag Box".

Yes you can take the Super to Court on the grounds of discrimination. Likely it will never reach the Courts but the obtion is open to all.
Regards,:o

jcatony

Kimber wrote:

Just asking the question.
What use would you have for a Pistol?

Well, my reason for wanting a pistol licence would be purely for target shooting. As for caliber, i am unsure. Until last weekend i was totally unaware that it was possible to privately own a pistol in this country. If i do apply for one, is there a limit on caliber? or barrel length?

Clare gunner

Kimber wrote:

You miss the point,

Give a new Pistol Shooter some Positive information when he asks for information on a forum.

More appropriate is realistic and truthful information.

It's always wiser to have your i's dotted and your T's crossed. If you recieve an application that time has been well spent and you project that you have done your home work. Its far far better than handing in an application on the back of the preverbal "Fag Box".

Well, that would be a first that anything is accepted on a fag box.But what I am trying to point is,somtimes even the best laid out paperwork isnt worth anything,if it runs into a brick wall.As I said it is good to have it in order as well,but once you hand in a form from your gun dealer that you have purchased a firearm,it is accepted as intent to liscense.No need for a fag packet.

Yes you can take the Super to Court on the grounds of discrimination. Likely it will never reach the Courts but the obtion is open to all.

Discrimination of what???? How are you discriminated against?You dont have a RKBA here in Ireland.It is a "qualified privilige "here to posses a firearms cert.
Were that the case that you could take a discrmination case,we would all be armed,as we could claim we were discrminated against somhow.But if you can show me the act and procedure that allows you this option apart from a judicial review I and everyone else would be most intrested,as I will be on to my solicitor on Monday to get proccedings of discrmination going against my superintendant.

Clare gunner

[. If i do apply for one, is there a limit on caliber? or barrel length?QUOTE]
At the moment no.Anything from a 22lr single shot up to a 50cal Bmg pistol is fair game.It just comes down to being able to convince your Superintendant that you have "good reason" to posses it.What that might be in your and the Supers mind might be two totally different things.But try anyway.

jcatony

Apart from target shooting, what other reason can you give the guards for wanting a pistol? When i applied for my rifle i practically gave a four page essay and it still was not enough. If i applied for say, a 9mm or a .45ACP would target shooting be enough? I would not apply for a licence before joining a pistol/rifle club.

Clare gunner

jcatony wrote:

Apart from target shooting, what other reason can you give the guards for wanting a pistol? When i applied for my rifle i practically gave a four page essay and it still was not enough. If i applied for say, a 9mm or a .45ACP would target shooting be enough? I would not apply for a licence before joining a pistol/rifle club.

Sheesh! That guy is really riding you hard!!!:mad: Did he grade your essay for spelling as well??Yes,target shooting would be more than enough reason,as would proof of club membership.However it will depend where you are in the 26.ASFIK there still isnt any range for rifle or pistol west of the Shannon or club for that matter.Could be a problem if you dont have transport,or if you consider driving for four hours to pop a few rounds.Not only that your local Kommisar..err ...superintendant might consider that the only calibre suitable for target shooting is a 22lr or none at all.Or you might be lucky and the man has had a road to Damascus conversion and will happily issue you with whatever you desire[two chances].And here is another catch 22,you will need to find a club that has club guns for members to use,and ASFIK that is still somwhat vauge here as to the legalities of this.So most of the guns will be members guns and you cant use them legally without a liscense.[there is a trick to actually overcome this,and very legal as well]So you join the club,cant use the guns,apply for a liscense,and if you are refused,you are then in a legal limbo of sorts.As I said before you have nothing to loose apart from gaining alot of stress as well],by putting in your application.Maybe if he refuses it you can find out on what grounds and what he wants for him to grant you the liscense.Proably another 10page essay:rolleyes:

jcatony

Sounds like you at least applied for a pistol licence and got the run around like myself. Any joy?

Clare gunner

11 months and counting,.

jcatony

The best of luck to you. What kind of pistol do you have in mind?

Clare gunner

Glock 17 9mm.

scorphonic

Clare gunner wrote:

11 months and counting,.

Now that is a harsh time to wait for the pistol. It was only last week when I spoke to a friend that just received his pistol after a mere three month wait..and he's living in Dublin city (I thought it was harder to attain one if you lived in the city)

Riggser

What are the reasons that you have to wait that long?

oldzed

3 months isnt too bad , i got mine in 7 weeks but that was a year and a half ago , i just got rifle nr 5 ,2 weeks ago, that took 8 months now that was painful, 2500 tied up in the gun and 3000 for the alarm and security improvements, but I got it and thats all that counts in the end .

Rovi

oldzed wrote:

3 months isnt too bad , i got mine in 7 weeks but that was a year and a half ago , i just got rifle nr 5 ,2 weeks ago, that took 8 months now that was painful, 2500 tied up in the gun and 3000 for the alarm and security improvements, but I got it and thats all that counts in the end .

As a matter of interest oldzed, how much security was required?
Are you now pretty much up to 'gun dealer' standard (solid concrete walls/floor/ceiling, steel door, recording CCTV, radio linked alarm, etc), or was something a bit less deemed adequate?

.

Clare gunner

Riggser wrote:

What are the reasons that you have to wait that long?

I honestly dont know Riggser!I had a flurry of activity about June as to what club I was in ,gave them all the info on the irish practical pistol assoc,even a contact for one member who is a DG.How was i going to import it from the US,rtc.Then dead silence.I have tried numerous attempts to make an appointment with the Super in Limerick with no sucess,written twice one hand deliverd ,one with proof of signature to be returned,which it never was[very bad move on their part].So now I'll bide my time,keep ringing them etc.Until March 06.......

Markhor

Clare gunner

Its a pity you are having so much trouble getting a permit, I noticed you mentioned Supdt in Limerick, would it be at Roxboro or somewhere else I wonder, as I have had difficulties there myself.

Do you think it will be easier when March comes around ?

oldzed

hi rovi , house was alarmed then I had to add monitored alarm , p(phonewatch -nothing else would do ) this was 10 windows ,9 motion pirs, 3 external doors sensors and 2 motion pirs and 8 shock and 3 door and shock sensors in the gun room . which has a dealer level spec and the system has both phone and gsm monitoring and digital cctv, 5 safes and pir external lighting , 2 fobs , 1 remote and 50€ a month in monitoring bills, its done now its dealer level and thats as much as i ever intend to do , next step would be a moate and a few hungry crocidiles.

Umiq88

that is a serious amount of monitering a dealer in town runs the thing in a shop built at the back of his house and doesnt have all that he has bars on the windows and a sliding steal door then inside he as 2 small rooms built from blocks with heavy steal doors on them nothing like what your describing it might be easier to get a dealers licence than go through all that

Kryten

The Gardai's own armoury probably isn't as secure as that!!! That was a very unreasonable request for that level (and expense) on security. I do agree with a safe for storage and an alarm, but is every rural farmer going to have to do this Fort Knox type security for his shotgun licence? I think not. Why do they blatently discriminate against pistol owners? They are no more dangerous than any other weapon in the wrong hands. I QUOTE THE WRONG HANDS. With the recent wave of gangland hits, will the authorities not get into their heads that by making it extremely difficult for us responsible, competitive, professional, enthusiastic and SAFE shooting sports men and women, they are not hurting the criminal in the least!

Sorry to go off on a rant, Nothing we dont know already, :mad:

Clare gunner

Markhor wrote:

Clare gunner

Its a pity you are having so much trouble getting a permit, I noticed you mentioned Supdt in Limerick, would it be at Roxboro or somewhere else I wonder, as I have had difficulties there myself.

Do you think it will be easier when March comes around ?

Nope ,Henry St.
Proably not,but at least he has to give account of himself in front of a judge and court of this land,and if he still refuses to act on an edict of a court,it then leaves him WIDE OPEN to be prosecuted and/or relived of command.Not good if you have eyes on the park .
Whereabouts are you yourself down here???

Markhor

Clare gunner

Hopefully you won't have to apply to the courts in the coming year you may receive your permit before then.

I applied for a medium bore calibre rifle, for hunting abroad, last February and was turned down by Roxboro four months later. I have held a rifle licence since 77 and have a gun cabinet fitted for the last 23 years but it seems to make no difference, their minds seem to have been made up long before my recent application.
I live just on the edge of Limerick City.

Clare gunner

Were you dealing with the same Super as me? A certain G M?? If so we might have somthing in common. PM me.

jcatony

Clare gunner wrote:

Glock 17 9mm.

Any particular reason why you chose the glock 17?
When i was in england 2 years ago i was able to get a good look at the glock and it handles very nicely. Well balanced, particularly with a full mag!

Rew

Fired a 17 and 33, dont like eaither TBH. Cheap and cheerfull would sum it up for me. Trigger was horrible and I don't like the idea of the trigger safety, seems a bit pointless to me.

jcatony

Rew wrote:

Fired a 17 and 33, dont like eaither TBH. Cheap and cheerfull would sum it up for me. Trigger was horrible and I don't like the idea of the trigger safety, seems a bit pointless to me.

Which pistol do you prefer?

Rew

Of those 2? Didnt notice much of a diference. If I had money it would def be a Sig P226 or X-Five

jcatony

Have you tried to apply for a pistol licence?

Rew

No my brother is ATM and we will probs get a Sig Mosquito between us in the new year.

civdef

When i was in england 2 years ago i was able to get a good look at the glock and it handles very nicely.

There's a very limited number of places to handle a Glock in England these days...

Markhor

Clare gunner

No, the persons name began with B, a nice enough man, he just has taken over the post within the last few months. To be honest he was fair enough,
he offered me something around the 6.5 x 68mm or 7mm mauser. He said he had no problem giving me that. What I wanted was a 9.3 x 62mm for hunting
heavy game abroad, but he didn't seem to understand and was basing his decision on information he was provided by the Dept. in Dublin

Clare gunner

jcatony wrote:

Any particular reason why you chose the glock 17?
When i was in england 2 years ago i was able to get a good look at the glock and it handles very nicely. Well balanced, particularly with a full mag!

I have owned it for the last 12 years.But it is parked in the US since then,along with a few other guns ,that I am sure will give my Super a screaming hissy fit when I apply for a liscense for them as well.:D
But as to why I own it. I wanted to get first a 45 1911,but being a left hooker,I would have to had it modified with ambidexterous,safteys,slide releases etc.I was on a budjet as well,and the gun shop owner suggested the Glock as to counter the problems.I was abit doubtful as to the merits of the trigger saftey as well.But once you learn rule no 1 about fingers and triggers,it is no problem.Plus new it was at the time $250 cheaper new than a 2nd hand modified 1911.Yes,the DAO does take a bit of getting used to,but OTOH if somthing like 20 Police depts in the US have adapted it as service weapon,and declared it "litigation proof" in its original format.Thats good enough for me.Get it in a variety of calibres and sizes,and they all operate on the same principle.
Dont get me wrong I do love the old 1911 as well,and I will get one again one of these days.But if you had to carry one all day in a shoulder rig,you would soon want somthing lighter. Firing a compact 45 is a lesson in muzzle flash and recoil as well. Not only that the Glock is ready to go out of the box,the 1911 some of them need a huge amount of money invested in them to get them to shoot accurately. I am not a fan of de cockers.Anything that snaps a hammer on a loaded chamber gives me the willies.I find the Sig 226 and Bretta 92 HUGE guns for their calibres.
Ditto the HK SOCOM.45.Almost twice the size and weight of a 1911.Hence the reason US SF have gone back to the 1911.

Civ
Could be a deact Glock he handled?

jcatony

I have a brother who has been living in england for just over 20 years and while i was over there, he introduced me to a friend of his in the police. And the rest as they say...

civdef

Thought as much, either that or you were good friends with some Yardies

jcatony

Clare gunner wrote:

I have owned it for the last 12 years.

So you lived in the states? Which state? From what i have read States like Texas, Nevada and California have very relaxed gun laws, even for the US!!! If i do apply for a pistol, i was thinking of taking a holiday in the US to try out a few models before i make an investment. P.S. Did you ever try the Steyr M-A1?

Clare gunner

So

you lived in the states? Which state? From what i have read States like Texas, Nevada and California have very relaxed gun laws, even for the US!!! If i do apply for a pistol, i was thinking of taking a holiday in the US to try out a few models before i make an investment. P.S. Did you ever try the Steyr M-A1?

[/QUOTE]

California,just as the first California gun ban wave started.Moved then to Arizona,as most Californians do when they get pissed off with how "anal" and unfree the state became.About the only legal thing in CA nowadays is sex with a consenting adult of the same sex and how to tell everyone else how to lead their lives.:mad:

Az is a brilliant state for shooting,[Just damn hot!!!!]Class3,and open carry.IE you can strap yor gun onto your hip and walk around town [if allowed by the local town ordinances],and no one will say Boo to you.So long as it is in open view and you are not making an attempt to conceal it.Or go into public buildings or schools you are grand.
Go to a crossroads of the West gunshow.If you can imagine the RDS and Punchestown combined,dedicated to a weekend of guns and shooting acessories.Once every six weeks BTW.Lock up your credit cards,as they will surely be maxed.An exellent train school there as well.Gunsite,in Paulden AZ.
Nevada is good too,go to Vegas and have a good holiday as well.duno about Texas,Louisiana is very good too I hear,once it is dried out.
Nope,never tried the Steyr.

jcatony

Might try to arrange something late next summer.

silvertip

an application for a pistol licence should be taken very seriously, on point i would like to make is, its a huge responsibility, and i have already met shooter?gob****es on the streets with 9mm glocks in shoulder holsters. my point being its only a matter of time before one of these fools uses a weapon in an..inappropriate manner, be it accidental discharge in a public place or worse, then the whole thing will be ****ed up for everyone. i am not directing my comments at anyone here, just stating an opinion

Clare gunner

silvertip wrote:

an application for a pistol licence should be taken very seriously, on point i would like to make is, its a huge responsibility, and i have already met shooter?gob****es on the streets with 9mm glocks in shoulder holsters. my point being its only a matter of time before one of these fools uses a weapon in an..inappropriate manner, be it accidental discharge in a public place or worse, then the whole thing will be ****ed up for everyone. i am not directing my comments at anyone here, just stating an opinion

Sure it wasnt a carload of SB or ERU??That would fit the description.:rolleyes:
I think it wouldnt matter if the gob****es were carrying single shot pistols or full auto MACs.Gob****es stay gob****es.Where did this occur BTW?Could be arrested for carrying a concealed weapon in a public place,without good reason.

les45

Having picked up cert for .40 Cal , I am assured that the Article 7, Euro Pass and a copy of permit is all that is required to release pistol from Germany, can anyone else advise !